From the George Washington Regional Commission:
The George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) is seeking input from regional stakeholders and other interested parties to assist it in the development of a regional strategic plan. To participate in the survey, please click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RJXV8W9
GWRC is the planning district commission for the region comprising the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, collectively known as “Planning District 16.” The commission is made up of representatives from the five localities and has the responsibility to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state-local cooperation in addressing, on a regional basis, problems of greater than local significance. In fulfilling this responsibility GWRC provides staff support for the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) with urban and rural transportation planning, to GWRideConnect for transportation demand management, in addressing homelessness as the lead agency for the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care (CoC), to GO Virginia Region 6 and its economic development initiatives, and for various regional environmental planning activities. For more information see https://gwregion.org/.
The authority and responsibilities of the GWRC are set by the General Assembly and are spelled out in Title 15.2, Chapter 42, of the Code of Virginia (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode). One of those responsibilities is to prepare a regional strategic plan addressing issues of importance to two or more localities within the planning district. The plan is to include “regional goals and objectives, strategies to meet those goals and objectives, and mechanisms for measuring progress toward the goals and objectives.” Furthermore, the regional strategic plan must include “those subjects necessary to promote the orderly and efficient development of the physical, social, and economic elements of the district, such as transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental management.”
GWRC’s last regional strategic plan was adopted in 2014 and can be reviewed at this link: https://gwregion.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GWRC-2014-Strategic-Plan.pdf
Although the 2014 plan will serve as a springboard for the development of a revised plan, the commission will take advantage of this opportunity to consider how the environment, with associated challenges and opportunities, has changed since then and will seek to identify appropriate responses to those changes and what they might portend.
With the support of a grant from the Virginia Housing Development Authority, GWRC has procured the services of The Berkley Group, a local government management consulting firm headquartered in Bridgewater, VA, to facilitate the commission’s work in developing the new regional strategic plan. The goal is to create a plan that is relevant, realistic, action-oriented, and implementation focus.
This survey is the first step in gathering input from a wide range of stakeholders and other parties interested in regional issues. The results of the survey will inform the development of a draft plan that will be made available for public comment in November. The commission has set a goal of adoption of the final plan in January 2022.
Please take a moment to consider the mission of GWRC and issues affecting this region and complete the survey found at the following link:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RJXV8W9
Please provide your input by August 6th.
